A small plaster Buddha sits on the shelf
On the bookcase in the closet
It being very nondescript, I glance at it
Plaster covered in golden paint
Seems asleep, but in meditation
I, feeling tired
Roll back on my back
Softly I hear “Douglas”
I glance, it’s not moved
I move again on my back
The statue says
“I am the Buddha.”
I reply;
“You are a small golden statue.”
Now I know I must be sleeping
The golden buddha is not alive
It can’t be the buddha
While this statue is not alive
Seemingly it spoke
But also a statue has no soul
Just a plaster cast
Is the plaster buddha a Buddha?
It has no soul!
Another thing that has no soul is the living Buddha
I roll over and go back to sleep
Or was I always asleep?
